1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to board games. More particularly, it relates to a board game where the players attempt to form words from vowels and consonants that are randomly selected by moving game pieces on a board or otherwise acquired by drawing cards or by trading with other players of the game.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Board games are known where players are randomly awarded vowels or consonants, hereinafter also referred to as characters, and where the winner is the first to form a word.
Perhaps the most common drawback to board games involving word formation is that such games typically have complex rules and thus are difficult to understand and play.
A need therefore exists for a word formation board game where the rules are easy to understand and the game is easy to play.
Some well-known word formation board games take a long time to play.
Thus there is a need for a word formation board game that can be played in a relatively short time.
Moreover, sometimes a player can win such games even if that player uses a limited vocabulary but is lucky in hitting positions that double or triple the value of a character or of an entire word.
A need therefore exists for a board game that does not rely on a lucky physical location of a word on a game board to enhance the value of a word.
There are also times in such games where all of the players are unable to form any further words, and play must stop.
Thus there is a need for a game that can be divided into rounds so that when no player is able to win a game, points can be allotted for formation of relatively short words so that a winner can be declared after the playing of a few such rounds.
Another drawback of many known board games is that a running score must be recorded for each word formed. Then, at the end of play, the scores must be totaled to determine who won the game.
A need therefore exists for a game where a score need not be recorded after each player has formed a word. More particularly, there is a need for a game where only a single score is recorded at the end of a round where no player was able to win the game. Thus, if a player wins the game, there is no need to record any score. If a player forms a word that qualifies as a round-ending word, then points are totaled for that player only when the round ends.
Some of the known games are also difficult to adapt for young players of limited vocabulary and are equally difficult to adapt for advanced players who command large vocabularies.
A need therefore exists for a game that is easy to adapt to young players and equally easy to adapt to very advanced players with a large vocabulary.
Some of the earlier board games also require each player to maintain his or her collection of characters in secrecy from the other players.
Thus there is a need for a board game where the characters possessed by each player are visible to all other players of the game.
A further need exists for a game where opposing players can take a character from each other to thwart an opponent from forming a word.
There is also a need for a game where strategic trades of characters may be made among the players of the game.
However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how such needs could be fulfilled in a board game that is easy to understand and play.